To better fulfill the Wisconsin Idea and help the state’s working class acquire new skills, University of Wisconsin launched 40 noncredit certificate programs for working adults.

After launching Advance Your Career last year with a selection of credit graduate programs, UW announced Tuesday the programming has extended to include noncredit certificate programs.

The noncredit certificate programs do not require students to be admitted to the university, and they require a lot less money and time to complete, while focusing on specific skill sets, David Giroux, UW continuing studies marketing director, said.

The program offers certificates in all areas of study, including business, agriculture, education, science and management.

As part of the program, College of Engineering is offering a laser-wielding certificate, the only one of this kind in the world. Giroux also introduced the Certified Public Manager program, which will assist managers in the public sector to advance their skills so they better address the challenges in their jobs.

The professional life coaching certificate, another noncredit certificate program, is the only academic International Coaching Federation-accredited program in the Midwest, according to the Advance Your Career website.

Besides noncredit certificates, Advance Your Career also features online accelerated degree and capstone programs. These programs require graduate-level work, but cater to specific areas of expertise and are often shorter than regular graduate degree programs.

The degree and capstone programs, Giroux said, will help working adults who already have college education to either get ahead in their jobs, or move to a different field.

“They’re [working adults] in the workplace, and they need something extra to advance, to move up that career ladder, to move laterally into a different career field altogether,” Giroux said. “That’s the phenomenon that’s happening more and more today.”